Taste Of The Town: French Eatery From Dubai & London Makes Its Way To Miami
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- From the owners of Zuma and Coya, comes the third international concept restaurant to Brickell Bay Drive - La Petite Maison. It's one of London's and Dubai's most popular restaurants.
The 4,600 square foot space with an eye-catching oversized bar is a blend of casual elegance with a homey feel.
"We wanted something that was simple and timeless and based on the original La Petite Maison", said Executive Chef Raphael Duntoye.
Duntoye, who is also part owner, knew Miami was a natural place for it.
"After being very successful in London and in Dubai I felt that there was only one place to go. We had Zuma here and knowing how well they did, we thought why not," he said.
Back in the kitchen, Chef Raphael leads his team, cooking what he calls simple French food. No heavy sauces. Just clean and fresh.
"Most of the dishes you find, is that we don't really do too much to the food. We don't play around with it. We get the most fresh food we can find and serve it almost naturally. We do things to enhance the flavor. It's light, not heavy," Chef said.
It's experiencing fine dining without the attitude. There's no fancy flowers on the table. Diners will find an edible centerpiece of fresh tomatoes lemon, oil and salt. Something they can slice into before they even look at the menu.
"It's a good way to start. It's like a cleanser," Chef Raphael said.
First up was a side dish of asparagus - simply blanched and served with a shallot dressing and marinated goat cheese.
"That's a breath of fresh air, because it's not a soggy asparagus, which I cannot stand," said CBS4's Lisa Petrillo, after tasting. "It's the best asparagus I've ever had in my whole life. I'm not kidding!"
Next up - warm prawns served out of the shell.
"What I believe is the food is better if chef has very little to do with it. This is prawns with a nice olive oil, lemon juice and salt," said chef.
"It's super light and lemon and fresh and it's a warm prawn - not cold, not hot. It's the perfect temperature. It's like a dessert prawn," Petrillo said after tasting the dish.
Next was the Yellowtail Carpaccio with guacamole with shallots and cucumber.
"It's so fresh and that citrus dressing and a little bit of guacamole, hello? It's very special," said Petrillo.
To sip, try their terrific Tomatini cocktails - La Petite's version of a lighter Bloody Mary.
You can also try chef's famous grilled Colorado Lamb Chops, seared to perfection and topped with what he called Aubergine caviar.
"It's simple, but elegant with so much flavor," Petrillo said.
La Petite Maison - where fine dining meets casual elegance in the heart of Brickell.
La Petite Maison is open 6 days a week for lunch and dinner - soon to be 7 days in October. Click here for more information.
